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Shavangi Sutaria

Final Report

December 7, 2011

Philosophy in The Lion King

Why are children so happy? Is ignorance truly bliss? Could it be because children are so young that they have not been hurt by life yet? Let us start this inquiry with a basic love that all children seem to share. Let us pick a topic that can reach a wide audience of children regardless of where they have been raised. Disney Channel movies have a remarkable amount of popularity in virtually any nation in the world. One particular movie that was released in 1994, has been translated into over 25 languages. This movie is called The Lion King. The movie covers many philosophical and cultural ideas such as: “Circle of Life”, Hakuna Matata,” symbolism, and the beginning of Fascism.

               The movie begins with the philosophy of the “Circle of Life.”  In the first scenes, herds of different animals and birds rush to approach the Kingdom known as Pride Rock to see the new heir to the throne. Similar to when a new CEO takes over a corporation and all the hungry and tired workers are happily ready to meet their new check signer. Lionel Richie’s opening song captures the true heartbeat of the entire film.  The chorus is as follows:

“From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle

The Circle of Life”

The song is all about life and finding your place in it. The song describes that from birth we see things and will never see enough. No matter who you are we are connected and dependent on each other. The movie shows Mufasa teaching Simba life lessons about “The Circle of Life.” Two of the biggest lessons are how a king’s time rises and sets with the sun and everything that light touches is a part of the king’s kingdom. This lesson shows how death is a part of life and when one passes, the responsibilities carry on to another, and life goes on. Light is also a part of this lesson. Light can symbolize the ancient Chinese concepts of Yin and Yang. There is always going to be good and bad. It is up to the members of the society with their leaders and ultimately the individuals themselves to figure out the differences. The second lesson that Mufasa teaches young Simba is of how the crawling ant to the leaping antelope must be in balance. He describes how when a lion dies his body decomposes becoming grass that the antelopes eat thus experiencing the “Circle of Life” in addition to how we are all connected. An example of this takes place when Mufasa dies. Many people have been quick to complain that a children’s movie should not be so graphic as to show death. Some people, however, prefer to just shrug and say “hey,” it is simply the circle of life.

Another major philosophy in The Lion King is that of the “Hakuna Matata.” “Hakuna Matata” is brought about when Scar, Simba’s uncle, makes a plan to kill Mufasa while tricking Simba into thinking it is his own fault. Simba runs away from Pride Rock and ultimately his future destiny and responsibility of being King. He runs away into the jungle where he meets Timon and Pumbaa. Their philosophy of “Hakuna Matata” literally means have a matata or in modern day terms “whatever.” It basically is saying put the past behind you and do not worry. It is a problem free philosophy. Simba grows up with this carefree lifestyle. Philosophically it raises the argument of responsibility vs. when things happen just go with the flow. It is similar to the Bhagavhad Gita and how Arjuna is faced with the moral dilemma of dharma, duty, vs. karma. Dharma is what one discovers as they are working off their karma in order to end the endless cycles of birth and rebirth. Simba has to figure out his responsibility in order to fulfill his destiny in becoming king. In fact, Simba towards the end of his stay in the jungle gets this divine vision of his father telling him to remember who he is. This action not only confirms his duty but also is similar to how Arjuna sees the Supreme Lord Head before he goes to fight the battle against the evil Kurdavas. Simba sees his father before he goes to fight the evil Scar. Once more this is similar again to Arjuna in the Gita because Arjuna is going to fight his friends and family and Simba is going to fight his uncle.

Pride is a trait that is also shown throughout the movie. A group of lions can be called a pride. Pride Rock is the name of the place that Simba’s kingdom is located. Even as young Simba is shown off at Pride Rock many of the animals that come out to see him are proud to see the new boss on the block. Even young Simba is confused about his role and asks Mufasa why the animals do so. Mufasa explains the philosophy of the Circle of Life and then everything becomes clear. From a viewer’s point of view, the concept is saying “hey”, it must be nice to be at the top of the food chain. Anyways, Scar feels like he is at the end of the line for the royal buffet. Pride develops from one’s ego. Pride as any desire holds an individual back from leading a truly happy and prosperous life. Pride is also the case with Scar. Scar never learns to accept that it is ok to not being the top dog. He fails to understand the “Circle of Life” and how he is just as valuable of a contributor to it. A large part of the movie focuses on being happy. Just be happy and do not worry. Nothing is ever gone. Everything will continue to go on; therefore, we should not worry about it. This type of philosophy is similar to that of the Buddhists. It shows how the Buddhists believe that the world is always changing and we as humans have to learn to accept these changes because that is healthy for us.

Some critics such as Hal Hinson, of the Washington Times, like to suggest that the movie raises incipient fascism. According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary Fascism means, “ A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” The Lion King is said by many as to showing several characteristics of Fascism such as the dislike of gay people, communism, glorification of male initiation, fear of cities, and above all inherent fascism with the fixation of leadership. The dislike of gay people comes into picture when even though Scar is made king he still shows no interest in any of the lionesses that are all single. There is only one king at a time. There are technically no other male lions in all of Pride Rock signifying communistic and dictatorship qualities. There is a fear of cities in a sense that Pride Rock is like a little town and everyone is dependent on each other. Similarly, when Scar starts getting the hyena’s support through giving them meat that can even be interpreted as classifying the “bad lands” as a welfare state. The largest fascist quality, however, is an obsession over leadership. The beginning scene of the animals flocking to see their new male leader followed by the glorification of the king’s responsibilities and the musical number “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” all come together in showing off the power of a single leader.

The Lion King has made its mark on the hearts of millions worldwide. The success of this film is indisputable. The question lies in whether or not this is simply a children’s movie. Through its creative means of portraying innocent events, the film manages to pull concepts of the cycle of life and death, living happily through life’s journey, hidden meanings of the inner self, and how societies can be controlled all in a clever 89 minutes.